zoloft advice needed

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/15/03 3:08:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

sypian writes:

 

 

> Hi -

> I am a 40 year old woman with 7 kids, college freshman down to 2 year

> old, (the 2 year old is our " adopted " grand-nephew,), anyway, about 3 years

> ago I went on Zoloft because I couldn't even make it through the day. I hated

> life, dreaded getting up in the morning, and was completely overwhelmed by

> everything, small to large and I had a lot of large things. The change in my

> attitude and personality were astounding for the first couple of years, then

> it was like it didn't help as much and so I started trying to stop taking it

> only to have everything crash in on me like a tidal wave, so I would go back

> on it. I decided that I was going to get off of it once and for all and

> stopped taking it 5 weeks ago. I got the book, Your Body, Your Diet from the

> library and tried implementing that plan, I figured out supplements, etc. I

> can't keep up with the diet with my family so I am more trying to just eat

> sensibly with a focus on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limited meat and

fish

> once a week. I have almost completely cut out coffee and sugar, (I have

> been making myself a cup but only taking a sip or two). the supplements that

I

> am taking are vitamin E, kelp, lecithin, b-complex, cal/mag/zinc, and

> Ltryosine. I am also taking a good multi vit and mineral daily. I was doing

really

> well, it was amazing, and when I started feeling joy again it took me by

> surprise! I didn't even realize that I hadn't felt it for the 3 years that I

> was on zoloft. However, it is getting harder and harder for me to keep

> going...I am starting to feel overwhelmed again and like I am being swallowed

in

> that tidal wave. I just want to go to bed and sleep and I am almost

constantly

> griping and screaming at my kids and husband, and my nerves are

> rattly...basically I am very unpleasant to be around! I am trying to exercise

regularly

> and am taking Bach Flower, wild rose. Does anyone have any thoughts specific

> to zoloft and maybe what else I can do? I haven't tried St. John's Wort

> yet, and probably should? Thanks for any advice or thoughts you may be able

to

> share!

> Deb S.

>

> Deb S

> What helps me a great deal is SAM-e and adequate amounts of

> Magnesium..... at least 700 mg daily and 2 grams of EPA daily from fish oil..

> hope this helps

>

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi, Deb,

 

Do you think perhaps your symptoms may be hormonal in nature? A lot of women in

their late 30s

and 40s develop estrogen dominance syndrome (too much estrogen relative to

progesterone) which can

be one cause of the symptoms you describe.

 

I took Prozac for a few years in my mid 30s until I turned 38 when it stopped

working altogether.

I subsequently tried about a half-dozen other anti-depressants, but none of them

worked. By this

point my body felt like a toxic waste dump and was screaming at me, " No more

drugs. " My

psychoparmacologist, who was apparently fed up with me at this point, started

threatening to have

me committed to a mental hospital against my will where I would be forced to

undergo elecroshock

therapy, for no other reason than that his precious " wonder drugs " didn't work

on me. This scared

the hell out of me and I fired him before he got around to doing it. I would

rather have been

dead than let anyone do that to me.

 

So I was left with severe anxiety, depression, and insomnia and no place to

turn. Then I

developed endometriosis, as if things weren't bad enough. One night I saw

holistically-oriented

gynecologist Christiane Northrup, MD, on PBS talking about natural, bioidentical

hormones, and I

bought her book " Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. " In it was a treatment for

endometriosis using

natural progesterone cream, and to make a long story short, it worked very well

for me.

 

Interestingly, my symptoms of severe depression, anxeity, and insomnia also

improved quite a bit

also. I also take a high quality mutlivitamin/mineral supplement and fresh

royal jelly capsules,

the latter further helping to keep my mood in balance. I am so much better now

than the day I

walked away from my psychopharmacologist, it's not funny.

Psychiatrists, psychoparmacologists, and psychologists for the most part don't

know much about

hormonal imbalance--they aren't trained in it.

 

If you suspect your problems may be hormonal in nature, I recommend reading the

above-mentioned

book by Dr. Northrup. Also of great help to me were the books by John R. Lee,

MD, especially

" What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause. " Dr. Lee is one of the

pioneers in the use

of natural progesterone cream and has a web site at:

 

http://www.johnleemd.com/

 

By the way, for the men on the list, I was just over at Dr. Lee's site and

noticed that he has a

new book out called " Hormone Balance for Men, " which is about prostate health

and natural hormone

supplementation.

 

I have no idea if your problems are hormonal in nature, but just wanted to

present the idea as one

possiblity. I wish you luck finding your own unique solution to the symptoms

you are

experiencing.

 

Best wishes,

 

Cathy B.

 

--- " Paul J. Sypian "

<sypian wrote:

> Hi -

> I am a 40 year old woman with 7 kids, college freshman down to 2 year

old, (the 2 year old

> is our " adopted " grand-nephew,), anyway, about 3 years ago I went on Zoloft

because I couldn't

> even make it through the day. I hated life, dreaded getting up in the

morning, and was

> completely overwhelmed by everything, small to large and I had a lot of large

things. The

> change in my attitude and personality were astounding for the first couple of

years, then it was

> like it didn't help as much and so I started trying to stop taking it only to

have everything

> crash in on me like a tidal wave, so I would go back on it. I decided that I

was going to get

> off of it once and for all and stopped taking it 5 weeks ago. I got the book,

Your Body, Your

> Diet from the library and tried implementing that plan, I figured out

supplements, etc. I can't

> keep up with the diet with my family so I am more trying to just eat sensibly

with a focus on

> fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limited meat and fish once a week. I

have almost

> completely cut out coffee and sugar, (I have been making myself a cup but only

taking a sip or

> two). the supplements that I am taking are vitamin E, kelp, lecithin,

b-complex, cal/mag/zinc,

> and Ltryosine. I am also taking a good multi vit and mineral daily. I was

doing really well,

> it was amazing, and when I started feeling joy again it took me by surprise!

I didn't even

> realize that I hadn't felt it for the 3 years that I was on zoloft. However,

it is getting

> harder and harder for me to keep going...I am starting to feel overwhelmed

again and like I am

> being swallowed in that tidal wave. I just want to go to bed and sleep and I

am almost

> constantly griping and screaming at my kids and husband, and my nerves are

rattly...basically I

> am very unpleasant to be around! I am trying to exercise regularly and am

taking Bach Flower,

> wild rose. Does anyone have any thoughts specific to zoloft and maybe what

else I can do? I

> haven't tried St. John's Wort yet, and probably should? Thanks for any advice

or thoughts you

> may be able to share!

> Deb S.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Deb,

 

I hope you take Frank's advice to read all you can on the SSRIs. From what I

understand, Zoloft is one of the worse. It takes time to heal and five weeks

out is actually not very long. My approach in dealing with withdrawal was going

to a high protein (meat and fats) diet and low carbohydrate consumption -

basically Atkins diet. There are two reasons for this. One is that the most

important nutrients neurotransmitters use in production are B vitamins, amino

acids, and minerals found naturally in meat products. The drugs alter normal

functioning of the neurotransmitters so to heal, my logic followed to insure I

was consuming sufficient amounts of what my body needed anyway. Second reason

is the drugs can cause hypoglycemia, many people are having that problem anyway

without even having taken the drugs. It can be a frequent reason people start

using the drugs in the first place. Insulin problems alone can cause the

symptoms you mention. I eat lots of fruit and vegatables but only particular

ones that are nutrient dense and lower in sugars. My fruit consumption is

predominatly berries with other fruits on rare occassion. I eat a lot of tomatos

- however you want to class those. I do not eat at all, the starchier

vegatables like peas and corn. No potatoes, only brown rice on occassion. I

especially avoid whole grains and only eat very mininal amounts of bread made

with stone ground flour. I'm counting my carb intake so there is a give and

take pick. I'm always recommending Atkins book - not so much for the diet but

because he explains insulin problems well and how to pick your foods and count

the number of carbohydrates you are consuming. Before reading him, I thought I

ate very well. After though when I started reading labels on products and

counting the carbs I actually ate, I was flabergasted at how much sugar I really

was consuming. Much of it came in sauces like bar-b-que and salad dressings

that I never gave a thought to before. Whole grains to me, means high sugar

intake.

 

I used supplements but I avoided all herbs. My reasoning was that the drugs

cause alterations in the normal functioning of the neurotransmitters, my

objective in healing was to get my body back to normal. Herbs can affect

functioning of the transmitters so they seemed counter to what I wanted. They

may actually help heal but I could not find enough to assure me of that. I was

menopausal at the time. I found it hard to separate symptoms from withdrawal,

menopause, and hypoglycemia - they are all similar. So I took black cobash,

DHEA, and extra magnesium to cover that base.

 

I can't tell you how to solve your problems, just that this has worked well for

me and for my son and our stories are basically ones of uphill, better and

better improvement and feeling better, not roller coaster rides.

 

Mary

-

Paul J. Sypian

alternative_Medicine_Forum

Friday, August 15, 2003 10:46 AM

zoloft advice needed

 

 

Hi -

I am a 40 year old woman with 7 kids, college freshman down to 2 year

old, (the 2 year old is our " adopted " grand-nephew,), anyway, about 3 years ago

I went on Zoloft because I couldn't even make it through the day. I hated life,

dreaded getting up in the morning, and was completely overwhelmed by everything,

small to large and I had a lot of large things. The change in my attitude and

personality were astounding for the first couple of years, then it was like it

didn't help as much and so I started trying to stop taking it only to have

everything crash in on me like a tidal wave, so I would go back on it. I

decided that I was going to get off of it once and for all and stopped taking it

5 weeks ago. I got the book, Your Body, Your Diet from the library and tried

implementing that plan, I figured out supplements, etc. I can't keep up with

the diet with my family so I am more trying to just eat sensibly with a f! ocus

on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, limited meat and fish once a week. I

have almost completely cut out coffee and sugar, (I have been making myself a

cup but only taking a sip or two). the supplements that I am taking are vitamin

E, kelp, lecithin, b-complex, cal/mag/zinc, and Ltryosine. I am also taking a

good multi vit and mineral daily. I was doing really well, it was amazing, and

when I started feeling joy again it took me by surprise! I didn't even realize

that I hadn't felt it for the 3 years that I was on zoloft. However, it is

getting harder and harder for me to keep going...I am starting to feel

overwhelmed again and like I am being swallowed in that tidal wave. I just want

to go to bed and sleep and I am almost constantly griping and screaming at my

kids and husband, and my nerves are rattly...basically I am very unpleasant to

be around! I am trying to exercise regularly and am taking Bach Flower, wild

rose! . Does anyone have any thoughts specific to zoloft and & nbs p; maybe what

else I can do? I haven't tried St. John's Wort yet, and probably should?

Thanks for any advice or thoughts you may be able to share!

Deb S.